In the large suite's bathroom of the Qingcheng Dao Hot Spring Resort Hotel, Little Bald Guy sat on the toilet lid, clutching a mobile phone and watching a live stream.

He had "borrowed" an old phone from Baba's trousers and didn't join Yun Wangshu and the others to watch the stream. Instead, he hid here to watch secretly, to avoid the gang of big villains suddenly saying, 'I have a bold idea,' which would spell bad luck for Little Bald Guy.

Little Bald Guy huffed. If it weren't for needing Yun Wangshu to travel around, he would have long ago gone off on his own, enjoying carefree freedom.

Thus, although Little Bald Guy was always bossed around by Yun Wangshu, forced to watch news broadcasts, world news, physics, and chemistry, and even undergo 'daily practice' and 'one small test every three days, one big test every five days,' he never thought about 'running away from home.' His only true home was the Coiling Dragon Pillar under the elevated highway in Shenhai City.

He could either go back and be crushed under the highway, unable to turn over for all eternity, or be pressed by Yun Wangshu to travel everywhere. After thinking it over, Little Bald Guy decided to bear the humiliation and burden.

Just watch him build high towers, watch him feast guests, watch his towers collapse, hmph!

Once my cultivation has progressed and I've shed the binding of the Earth Spirit and obtained a physical body, I'll hang Yun Wangshu and Changsheng up, raid the Fairy Palace, and snatch the young lady from the God of Cookery to be my kitchen girl. Then I can eat big bowls of meat, drink big bowls of wine, taste something delicious, flick Changsheng's forehead, drink another tasty sip, and smack Yun Wangshu's butt—how wonderful that would be!

As Little Bald Guy fantasized about his wonderful future life, his eyes remained glued to the screen. He too felt that cultivation was strenuous, so naturally, he couldn't miss out on the great opportunity of boosting his cultivation by watching live streams.

When the Vertical-Pupil Monster appeared as the boss, the bathroom light suddenly flickered, scaring Little Bald Guy into hiding in the bathtub. He looked at the two huge vertical pupils on the screen, and a chill spread from the depths of his soul to every pore of his body.

It was as if he had returned to over a thousand years ago when he had just gained spiritual intelligence but had only spirit without form. He was vaguely unaware of the world's changes from sunrise to moonset, unable to even shape-shift to touch living beings, his consciousness a blur.

Back then, he naturally didn't care about such a state. But now, having seen the fleeting splendor of the human world, personally seized freedom, and recognized the beauty of 'living,' he could no longer bear that life of having no body, no self, and no knowledge.

As an Earth Spirit, Little Bald Guy didn't fear death; he didn't even have a concept of life or death. But he uniquely feared his past—in the days before Spiritual Energy revived, he couldn't even achieve 'self-awareness.'

However, as the Disaster Girl gradually inflicted heavy injuries on the Vertical-Pupil Monster step by step, Little Bald Guy's fear gradually dissipated.

Little Bald Guy felt as if a new source of power was injected into his heart. His blood boiled, the fear in his heart gradually faded, and a determined thought emerged in his mind: As long as I become stronger, I will never go back to how things were.

This power felt tangible; Little Bald Guy felt his body full of strength, and even his cultivation level rose slightly!

He tightly clenched his fists, feeling that he had changed.

"What living beings truly fear is fear itself," said the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair. "When living beings muster courage and confront fear, they will find that fear is nothing much. Fear grows strong because of the living beings' fear and weakens because of their bravery. To hesitate and not advance will ultimately lead to inevitable failure; to step forward is the only way to grasp the slim chance of victory bestowed by courage."

That's right!

With determination in his eyes, Little Bald Guy jumped out of the bathtub and tiptoed to see himself in the bathroom mirror.

To not advance out of fear means only failure; only by bravely taking that first step is there a chance for victory! Being afraid is useless; entrusting one's future to destiny only leads to living in constant fear. Only by embracing ideals, striving forward bravely, and continuously progressing—even if one falls, the stance is still magnificent!

Little Bald Guy opened the bathroom door and saw Yun Wangshu right in front, holding a teacup in his left hand and a smartphone in his right, appearing to have just come out to pour tea.

Baldy, do you want to be a coward all your life, or a man for five seconds?

Little Bald Guy's eyes were determined as he suddenly charged forward—

SMACK!

The white-haired Great Han Ba and the frail, white-haired young man Changsheng simultaneously lifted their heads, looking with astonishment at Little Bald Guy behind Yun Wangshu.

Without turning his head, Yun Wangshu put down the teacup, pinched Little Bald Guy's collar with two fingers, and lifted him up to his own eye level. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Pretty, pretty bouncy..."

"I'm asking if you're happy."

"Hap-happy." Little Bald Guy immediately cowered. "I, I won't dare to do it again next time..."

"There's a next time?"

Three seconds later, Little Bald Guy was hoisted by invisible threads of spiritual energy. His pants were pulled down, and two unsupported willow branches intensely and continuously whipped Little Bald Guy's backside mid-air. As he howled and swayed, the willow branches moved along to whip him.

These willow branches seemed to be strengthened, glowing with a red Blood Light. They always hit Little Bald Guy's underwear, but the underwear was unscathed; yet Little Bald Guy screamed in pain.

"Now it's my turn to enjoy myself a bit," said Yun Wangshu, holding his smartphone and sitting on the bed drinking tea. "If your cries aren't loud enough, let's switch to triple speed."

The whipping speed of the willow branches immediately quickened, leaving red afterimages in the air. Little Bald Guy was whipped into a frenzy of wails.

However, Little Bald Guy didn't beg for mercy at all because he saw Ba and Changsheng, who were spectating, give him a thumbs-up. Changsheng even secretly mouthed the words, "Tough!"

A magnificent man doesn't beg for mercy.

Thus, with snot bubbles bursting from his nose, Little Bald Guy, his voice trembling, shouted loudly, "E-e-even if you're s-so loved by everyone that c-cars would line up for you, and even R-Ren Han, upon seeing you, his s-soulmate, would be too c-captivated to move, I... I... I will n-not... n-not... n-not submit..."

***

As the voice of the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair ceased, all the cards on the wooden table vanished. Three cards appeared in mid-air: "Monster Era," "Deep Sea Era," and "Age of Transference."

In the "Monster Era" card, a Transcendent wielding firearms was fighting a ten-meter-tall, one-eyed monster, a Behemoth, a Thunderbird, a Troll, and other Extraordinary Creatures.

In the "Deep Sea Era" card, numerous muscular and fierce Fishmen and giant Sea Monsters invaded the land from the beach. The sky was obscured by fighter jets, and endless artillery rained down on the Sea Monster frontlines. But beyond the coast, many monsters also invaded cities through the sewers...

In the "Age of Transference" card, the sun seemed obstructed, and the sky was extremely dark. The only light sources between heaven and earth were human figures like Titans. These Titans stood on the front lines, countering Sea Monsters—massive enough to dwarf aircraft carriers—that emerged continuously from the Dark Sea. They themselves constantly burned, emitting a warm light. In the major cities protected by these humans, most areas were abandoned. Only small parts remained inhabited, and these surviving humans were invariably at least three meters tall. They relied on bonfires fueled by the remains of Giants to survive in the darkness.

The Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair gently waved her hand, and the three cards were reduced to powder, blown by the wind into the candle, causing its flame to surge.

"The girl grasped courage and slew the Source of Disaster, the Fear with Dual Pupils," said the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair. "She unleashed the nurtured energy, altering the future that was named Fear. The girl received the blessing of the Light of Courage, obtained the Body of Fear, and acquired the Seed of Destiny."

In the battle scene, countless white orbs of light suddenly emerged from the Abyssal Sea's depths, converging upon the Disaster Girl, enveloping her in a dazzling yet gentle, pure white radiance—

"Courage's Blessing: Physical Condition further enhanced; she is no longer affected by the 'Great Despair Card' (though 'Great Despair' will still have an effect)."

Ren Suo's eyes brightened. The Disaster Girl's last vulnerability was now covered. No matter what Ren Suo drew in the Destiny Cards judgment, the Disaster Girl's gains would be at most zero, while the enemy's would definitely be negative.

Moreover, even if the Disaster Girl died, Ren Suo could choose to consume one Seed of Destiny for a 'normal resurrection' instead of two Seeds of Destiny for a 'blessed resurrection' (which does not include the Card of Despair)—even if he drew 'Despair' or 'Great Despair,' the Disaster Girl would not be affected.

Then the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair placed two cards face down on the wooden table and softly said, "So, which Path of Destiny will the girl step onto next?"

The beta version of Hand of Fate consists of ten chapters. Each pair of chapters forms a Path of Destiny: a Trace Path and a Killing Stage.

Ren Suo had already thoroughly investigated this information. With four chapters left in the game, there were naturally two more Paths of Destiny.

He glanced at the screen. The Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair was quietly waiting for Ren Suo to move his piece to one of the cards and embark on the next Path of Destiny.

Ren Suo let out a soft breath. He knew this was the best chance to complete the side mission 'Surpass Fate.'

After Ren Suo achieved a final score of 100, the mission evaluation settlement showed this message: "Side Mission: Surpass Fate. Predict the subsequent Paths of Destiny and preemptively kill the Source of Disaster (2 chances remaining)."

Logically, a perfect score of 100 should mean the player had cleared the game in the best possible way. Theoretically, there should be no further room for optimization—otherwise, it wouldn't be 100 points.

However, an incomprehensible side mission appeared after the player scored 100.

Having enhanced A Thousand Miles in a Day with the Imperial Edict last night, Ren Suo briefly entered a state of heightened Comprehension and quickly analyzed the hidden meaning of this side mission:

First, this mission is basically impossible for players to complete within the game itself. Both the name 'Surpass Fate' and the phrase 'predict the subsequent Paths of Destiny, preemptively kill the Source of Disaster' imply that players following the normal game process simply cannot complete this side mission.

Unlike other games, Hand of Fate allows very little freedom. Players must act based on the cards dealt by the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair. If she does not disclose information about the Source of Disaster boss, players cannot know the boss's location, let alone kill it preemptively.

If this were another game that could be replayed, Ren Suo might have cleared it once and then played it again. However, this game constantly synchronized with reality, making that option impossible.

Second, this mission is virtually impossible for players to accomplish.

What if my Rippling Spring Sounds still had ample time? Could I just summon a powerful game character to slay the Source of Disaster? Or, if I were very strong, could I go and annihilate the Source of Disaster myself? Impossible. Because I cannot predict the subsequent Paths of Destiny.

Regarding the first three Paths of Destiny, although they corresponded to 'Despair,' 'Violence,' and 'Fear'—common negative human emotions—they had no connection to each other. It wasn't possible to guess the next two Paths of Destiny just from the first three.

The destiny set by the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair must rely on special intelligence or ability. She might even represent fate itself, which is why she could lay out a Path of Destiny. How could humans possibly deduce the Lord of Despair hidden in the Great Rift Valley of Africa merely from some European butcher's artifact? How could they imagine, from the appearance of a White Werewolf in Europe, that the Fear with Dual Pupils was breeding in the abyssal depths, tens of thousands of meters under the sea?

The difficulty of this feat of imagination was comparable to a high school student touching the school belle's hand and immediately planning their future children's names—perhaps Black Child, with boys playing basketball and girls sent to Academy City. Most importantly, he would genuinely believe this fantasy.

Clever Ren Suo summarized these points and immediately concluded: This task, in reality, wasn't meant to be completed by players. It appeared on the mission settlement interface merely for players to see. To complete this task, they must rely on external forces.

Then Ren Suo listed the external forces he could employ: bonding partners, himself, the Tactical Bureau, and game characters. Without a doubt, 'game characters' were the external force needed to complete this side mission. So, which game character would it be?

Ren Suo had previously summoned Ilina on the fourth day. Ilina had shown no anomalies, faithfully carrying out his orders. Disguised as one of the Top Ten True Disciples of the Supreme Supreme from Cloud Sky Palace, she executed a perfect team wipe and even restored the destroyed city.

Therefore, not just any game character could serve as the external force for Surpass Fate; at least, Ilina could not.

Ren Suo pondered and pondered, and suddenly remembered.

Before October, three games had undergone updates simultaneously, each increasing their version number by 0.01.

They were "Devouring the Spirit of the World," "Jedi Priest," and "Midnight Walker."

At the time, Ren Suo had wondered why these three games were updated and whether it hinted at something.

In these games, Zhao Zili from Jedi Priest and the Collector from Midnight Walker were characters with powerful backers. Devouring the Spirit of the World itself was a magical entity capable of probing the world's secrets. Therefore, they all qualified as game characters capable of glimpsing fate.

Then, Hand of Fate allowed Ren Suo to use three holiday promotional opportunities to summon game characters three times, with each character only summonable once within the game.

However, October itself had three holidays: Cold Dew, Frost's Descent, and Double Ninth, so Ren Suo hadn't paid it much mind.

But looking back now, it seemed that everything was a hint.

Perhaps it was all a coincidence. However, I've also heard a saying: 'In this world, there are no coincidences, only inevitabilities dressed up and masked.'

Ren Suo let out a gentle breath.

If this is what the Mini-World Game Console is anticipating...

***

PS: I've heard that when Hearing Sun and Monthly Ticket are chewed together, they taste like ham...

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